SACRAMENTO, Calif. – March 16, 2012 – Ducks Unlimited today honored UC Davis professor Dr. John M. Eadie with the 2012 Wetland Conservation Achievement Award in the Research/Technical category. The prestigious accolade was presented to Dr. Eadie by DU CEO Dale Hall at the 77th annual North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.
"Serious consideration goes into selecting winners," said Hall, "Dr. Eadie is one of the best and the brightest in the world of conservation and he exemplifies a commitment, understanding and dedication that benefit fellow conservationists, his students and waterfowl alike."

DU's Wetland Conservation Achievement Awards recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the restoration and conservation of North America's wetlands and waterfowl. Dr. Eadie was nominated by members of the Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research in Canada and California's Central Valley Joint Venture which is a conglomeration of numerous federal and state agencies and non-profit organizations. Both groups believe the professor far exceeded the nominating criteria.

"John has been systematic in discovering the food resources needed and exploited by ducks in the Central Valley," said Fritz Reid, Ph.D., DU Director of Conservation Programs, Boreal & Arctic Programs. "This information on seasonally flooded wetlands and riceland habitats has helped build the conservation model for these critical wintering grounds. His strength as an educator has built the capacity of graduate students and field ecologists alike."

Dr. Eadie currently serves as D.G. Raveling Professor of Waterfowl Biology at U.C. Davis and is admirably extending the influential role of the university's internationally recognized waterfowl professor, Dennis G. Raveling, who died in 1991. In the classroom and the field, Dr. Eadie teaches, leads and mentors upper classmen in virtually every aspect of wetland and waterfowl conservation, from moist-soil management to waterfowl hunting heritage. He works tirelessly with the students, cultivating their education so they will make their own significant contributions to wetland and waterfowl conservation.

In addition to his role as an educator, Dr. Eadie consistently shares his expertise with Ducks Unlimited, the Central Valley Joint Venture, the Pacific Flyway Studies Group, the California Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and California Waterfowl Association. Each of these organizations has benefited greatly from his leadership, vision and depth of knowledge.

A top scholar and skilled researcher, Eadie has published numerous articles to advance the understanding and biological knowledge of key conservation issues including avian ecology; waterfowl management & conservation; population ecology and wetland ecology and conservation.

Dr. Eadie considers it an honor and privilege to work on integrating waterfowl management with critical habitat concerns while continually adapting harvest management practices. He says the challenge is trying to update the whole human dimension side of things in a more explicit and coherent way.

"That's really important as it acknowledges the importance of hunters and the traditions of hunting in terms of maintaining our capacity for wetlands and waterfowl and all the great recreational values to both hunters and non-hunters alike," said Eadie. "And we need to understand many of the challenges we're going to face not necessarily biological but may be sociological in terms of funding conservation, keeping the funds we need in place to sustain wetlands and the people that manage those wetlands."

Ducks Unlimited is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, DU is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, with special events, projects and promotions across the continent. Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 12 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever.

*Note: If you have a member login from the previous website, you may enter it here to access your My DU account. Visit our FAQ page for more details.

Choose Your Content

Welcome to your personalized My DU homepage! In addition to the exclusive web benefits for members, you can now personalize your own DU web page with the content that you care about the most. Select your favorite hunting, conservation and local information and you’ll see an instant summary each time your return to the page.

New features will be introduced to My DU in the coming weeks and months – so check back often.